Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-03-25
Hotel Horror.

Scarcely had the report Of the destruction
Of $500, 900 of wholesale grocery property at
Buffalo, N. Y, passed into the history of
the day than comes the story Of the burn
ing of the Richmond hotel in the same city
with the loss Of thirty lives and the injury
of 80 to 40 persons, some of whom must also
die. The Richmond hotel was newly APP
pointed house, opened to the public on the
10Th Of February, becoming in less than a
month heap Of ashes. The fire, the origin
OF which is unknown, was discovered at 3 80
on the morning Of the 18th and in two hours
only blackened and tottering walls re-
manned. There were lbs persons in the
hotel, ~ Of whom were transient guests,
eight boarders and the remainder porters,
bell-boys. the families Of the proprietors and
clerks. Twenty-Five Of these were rescued
from the windows by the fremen, % are at
the hospitals and large number made
their escape by other means. d
The spread Of the flames is said to have
been frightful in its rapidly. The elevator
shaft served as tlue to the flames and they
rushed up to the top floor ia very few
moments. AS the guests were aroused and
found the interior exits cut Off, they turned
to the windows. They could be seen in their
night clothes standing out clear aud vivid
before the lurid background of the flames.
Their screams were horrible to hear, and
they could be heard for blocks. The
flames spread to the northeast side of the
hotel first. The fremen did noble work and
confined the fire to the narrow limits of the
buildings named. Their work of rescue
had many exciting incidents. The tele-
graph wires were as usual in the way Of the
was lost in getting the ladders past them.
Among the guests in the hotel were about
20 insurance agents who had come on to
adjust the losses of the great fire at Miller
Greiner Il Co.'S and the Courier Office on
Tuesday. '[z>@ - ~ @.,i59.t s2a4 }:.aE
Five girls who roomed on the fifth floor
made rope out of the bed-clothes and
hung it out of the window, but none of
them seemed to have the courage to start.
At last one Of the FIVE took hold and swung
down to a window ledge, from which she
the he same manner, and then the tifth I ei ri
started down. She had gone but little
distance when the rope parted, and down
she went four stories Strange to say, she
was not killed. Her legs were terribly cut
and bruised, her back badly injured and
her face and arms were in frightful con-
II. M. johnson, the celebrated sprint
runner, of Pittsburg, says: Il arrived in
Buffalo yesterday ara was assigned to
room 1875 at the Richmond hotel. About
$50 o'clock in the morning the bell boy
pounded upon my door awoke and found
and rushed out into the hallway and, o my
God, what sight! Men, women and chill
dren acted perfectly wild and did not know
which way to 60. Women raved like
maniacs and rushed pell NELL from the
stairway and in every direction. The
smoke was almost suffocating. cannot
remember anything about how I got out
but think came down the stairway.
The losses as at present stated on the
hotel, st. James hall and museum, stocks of
goods in stores, clothing, jewelry &C., ag
gregate $4,000 with Considerable insur-
ance, covering half the loss or more.